Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold | Great Lakes Brewing Co.

0 characters.
We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters. Awesome. Thanks for the review!

In English, explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.

Reviews by LCB_Hostage:

A: Like the name says, rich, glittery gold. A modest head and persistent lacing.
S: Sharper and hoppier than I anticipated for a lager. Some citrus in the background. All layered over a big, malty background.
T: Fantastic! Richer and more complex than any lager I've had before. The sweetness of the malt is held in perfect balance with enough hoppy goodness to cut through the sweetness without overpowering it. The crisp, dry finish with just a touch of citrus makes this remarkably refreshing.
M: Clean and nicely carbonated. Again, very refreshing.
O: This has vaulted to the top of my lager listings. I'm not well-enough versed in the style to say whether or not this is a great example, but it hits every note perfectly for me. I honestly don't get the comments I've seen in some reviews comparing this to an AAL. It is SO much more flavorful and sophisticated than anything being put out by the big three. I'm not sure why it took so long for me to get around to trying this one, given the great experience I've had with every other Great Lakes beer, but this will now become a regular fixture in my fridge. My Great Lakes winning streak continues. I've yet to have one of their beers I haven't loved.

More User Reviews:

4.75/5 rDev +17%

It is the best tasting beer I have ever come across. It's like they created a brita filter for beer and it pissed out the most reliable, un-offensive beer of all time. It's one of the greats, I just hope someone else sees it for how great it really is.

Taste: Medium bodied with a smooth and crisp mouth feel. Very very malty with sweetness and grain ... a big kiss of hops perfectly balances this lager, touch of herbal and citrus hop flavour linger. The finish dries up a little though there is a decent amount of residual sweetness and malt flavour (grain/husk) left.

Notes: This is the stuff! A top notch US brewed lager with several awards to back it up ... comparable if not better than some of its German counterparts. If you see buy it ... any macro to micro drinker with thoroughly enjoy this brew. Goes great with a roast beef on rye at lunch time! Fact: Its their flagship brew.

It's like if you took a soft dutch pretzel and turned it into a beer. Yeah, that's it.

Sorry I can't wax pretentious on this little piece of bread in a glass with a slightly bitter finish.....which I was lucky enough to get from my son when he came home from college in Ohio, but I'd rather drink than write right now. And yes, I poured it into a Spencer glass I got at Total Wine & Beverage. Crucify me!

A: This beer is a bright and clear medium gold with a long lasting white head.
S: This beer has a medium hops aroma with that noble hops style closely behind that is a soft, sweet Pils malt aroma. It has clean fermentation without any ester or phenols and just a faint hint of DMS.
T: It has a medium-high hops flavor balanced by a Pils malt flavor and a bit of sweetness. There is a nice hops bitterness throughout that carries in the finish
M: A soft medium body and medium carbonation.
O: This is an outstanding beer that is wonderfully balanced and very satisfying. The armoma is amazing where the first whiff lets you know your in for a real treat with a well crafted beer. I'm totally lacking in my ability to describe what going on beyond those two primary notes of malts and hops in the aroma and flavor but it's pure magic.

A: Nice one finger, fluffy head. Liquid is a nice clear gold with a small amount of carbonation visible. Retains a small head throughout. Some nice big topographical looking lacing.

S: Nice round malt smell - very bready. Some hop that is mostly citrus but has a hint of fresh cut grass.

T: Very much as you would expect but very well done. Bold, bready malt with a crisp and slightly zesty hop. Very well balanced. The finish and aftertaste is nice and sharp - a nice way to lead into the next sip.

M: Medium carbonation that is just perfect - not too sharp. Mouth feel is fuller than you would expect.

D: This is just a really well made beer. I'd be happy to drink this at any time and I'd also be happy to knock down a good few. A pretty darned nice session brew. I have yet to have a Great Lakes beer that I didn't like.

L: dark gold/Copper in color, with a small, white head. Some lacing; head recedes over time, leaving ~1/4th of an inch lasting throughout.

S: Bready, Grain sweetness, corn, and a light floral/earthy nature to it

T: Bready, floral, grain sweetness- There is a very nice balance going on here, the sweetness wrestling with the floral hops, neither gaining supremacy, however. A lingering earthiness is apparent.

F: Clean. light-medium body, crisp while also featuring a smoothness which makes it incredibly quaffable.
Finish is somewhat dry, Carbonation is medium.

O: Excellent. This lager is superbly balanced. For a moment, mid-palate, it seems as though the bitter earthiness will be a touch too strong, but the sweetness of the malt balances it perfectly. Highly recommended, and I myself am quite glad I decided to revisit this wonderful brew.

Into a pilsener, it poured a beautiful clear yellow color and gave a darker almost close to orange body. With a big beautiful white two inch head, a lot of nice spider web lacing left some rings around the pilsener. Some carbonation was seen rising, but ever so slowly. The smell was malty with some light corn in the background and a slight breadiness came out as well. The taste brought all of these elements back and gave a slight hoppiness to it. The palate was about a medium with a nice smooth aspect to it. Nothing felt bad on my tongue. Overall, I’m impressed and would have this again.

Another sublime offering from the wizards at Great Lakes Brewing Company. I have had this beer in my refrigerator since my first taste in 2005.
L: Wonderful golden color.
S: Unmistakeable malt aroma, with a subtle sharpness.
T: Spot on. Consistently not bitter, rather sharp and satisfying.
F: Rich, full drinkable.
O: To me, simply the best Dortmunder style lager being brewed.

Pours dark orange/light Amber with a significant off-white head. Smells clean with floral and fruity notes. First sip is wonderful. Biscuity malts balance well with crisp, bitter hops. Notes of pretzel are present throughout. Mouthfeel is soapy, frothy, and lightly carbonated. Overall, the balance is what makes this such an excellent brew- not too sweet, not too bitter. Great appreciation beer, wouldn't expect anything less from Great Lakes.

This pours a rich golden colour with a finger thick white head with great retention. The nose is very malt forward with hints of yeast and baking bread. The taste is much the same reminding me of Arrowroot digestive cookies, biscuity with a slight toffee sweetness. There is a slightly earthy hop finish that gives it that slight bitterness at the enough. The carbonation is just enough to add a bit of crispness without making it too dry. I quite enjoyed this lager.

Pils glass
L: real sexy looking beer. excellent head retention, beautiful robust lace, perfect dark golden color, slightly turbid
S: Nice aroma, on point for the style. honey graham cracker, really sweet with floral hops.
T: Great flavor in this lager. Really comes through strong. Up front is a sweet honey grain presence, as per the style. Finishes with a crisp bitter bite from the hops. Earthy and floral as per style. But not very bitter, IMO perfect balance.
F: A bit of a heavier body than typical for a lager, but interestingly doesn't take away from its drinkability. Or maybe its just that I'm thirsty and its been a shitty day, IDK. Nonetheless this is an easy drinking lager with a rich body.
O: I'm impressed for sure. Actually I've had nothing but solid beers from Great Lakes. This one definitely hits the spot for me as a big fan of well crafted lagered beers.

Light medium body with a smooth texture that imparts moments of oiliness and creaminess. Perfect carbonation with a rich prickly effervescence from the middle on.

The world class flavor profile is intense, complex and balanced. It begins with a blend of herbal and citric hop flavor over biscuit. As hop flavor recedes in the middle, a mild noble hop bitterness takes the forefront over a balancing biscuit sweetness. The finish is a bit crisp, and a tad dry, with a lingering noble hop flavor over a subtle receding bitterness.

great color full bodied.Lemony undertones,can hold up to almost any food.Glad I finally tried it.All the GLB beers I have had have bben great,still need to try the Eliot Ness,being its my fav type,the vienna style.

Pours a golden-orange with a slightly cloudy and hazy appearance. Small-ish, white head that dissipates to a thin layer after a few minutes and leaves minimal lacing on the glass. Aroma is kind of strange, at least to me. Nice malts and grains off the nose, very crispy, with a slight cheesy smell - sharp and musty. I don't know if this is intended or not, and I can't decide if it's good or bad, it's just... a little bit different. Also some sweet bread and a dense, underlying corn aroma. Taste is very crisp on the tongue, slightly bitter with a good balance of hops and grains. Certainly more malt and yeast than hops, but all-in-all a nice balance. Nice, sweet bread flavors come around more and more as it gets warmer. I still pick up a cheesy smell that transforms into a taste as the beer hits my palate, slightly sulfuric. Medium body, nice, tight carbonation.

Definitely a decent lager, but I feel the cheesy aroma was a little stronger than it was intended to be. Overall, still a nice tasting beer, and I'd like to try another one to see if I get the same cheesiness.

EDIT: had again recently, still had a cheesy aroma, though not as strong, and this time, not accompanied by the sulfuric character, either. Much more enjoyable this time around, although I still didn't fall in love with this beer. If I want a Great Lakes lager, I'd still reach for an Eliot Ness.